Man chases squatting black bear from crawlspace with a paintball gun

Man evicts bear from crawlspace with paintball gun

When you return to your cabin and encounter a black bear taking up space, what do you do? If you're a hardcore nature enthusiast, you go into the crawlspace with the bear. Toogie Sielsch via Storyful

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (FOX 2) - "If it's brown, lay down. If it's black, fight back. If it's white, goodnight". That's generally the way to remember what to do if you encounter a bear. A nature enthusiast had to do exactly that when a black bear was squatting inside a California house.

Toogee Sielsch had a problem when he home to the cabin in South Lake Tahoe – a huge black bear decided the crawlspace would be the best place for a long winter's rest. Sielsch, however, disagreed.

Armed with only a paintball gun, he crawled into the crawlspace to evict the bear from the home.

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Man Braves Close Encounter to 'Evict' Huge Bear From Under House. Toogie Sielsch via Storyful

The footage showed Sielsch starting by pointing his paintball gun with a flashlight into the dark crawlspace. He then crawls inside the home and fires eight shots.

Then the massive black bear comes running out of the crawlspace, with witnesses nearby talking about just how big the bear was.

Man Braves Close Encounter to Evict Huge Bear From Under House. Toogie Sielsch via Storyful

"I promise he’s just fine, and will surely find another, safer spot to overwinter," Sielsch said.

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If you have a cabin with a crawlspace like this that a bear might have decided would be a good home, Sielsch urges you not to try this.

"(Don't) even think about doing what I did there unless you have years of training and experience!"

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Sielsch documents the wildlife in and around Lake Tahoe, particularly with South Lake Tahoe's "urbanized black bears". You can see more of his adventures on his Instagram page.